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Obscure Adventures Magazine
Making Lemonade out of Lemons
with a fall back plan to target buffalo. Unfortunately the fish were not present in any of their normal spots thanks to recent rains and melting snow, which led to high currents and muddy water. In a last ditch effort to get some fish before the fog rolled in they decided to try to get the silvers to jump.
In the first few passes they managed to get a few stirred up and put a couple over the side. Brian was retrieving his arrow after a shot and he heard Connor shoot behind him. Connor dropped his Mission Craze and grabbed the line.
He called for Brian, “Dad, I’ve got a big one”. Brian joked with him a little as Connor struggled with the fish as it swam under the boat, “Come on, just get him up here.” Brian ate his words when the arrow and the fish cleared the side of the boat. Connor’s Innerloc 3-barb grapple point was holding, but not by much. Brian quickly put in a back-up shot and they swung the fish into the bucket.
Brian knew that this fish was big, especially compared to the 10-15 lb. silvers they normally see, and even compared to the larger 20+ lb. fish they sometimes encountered. They weighed in their 5 fish at the end of the tournament, 2 of which were taken by Connor, and walked away with the victory at 127.3 lbs., nearly double the team that finished in 2nd place. Connor also won Big Fish honors for the tournament.
Brian hesitated to have the fish officially weighed though. The former state record was 36 lb. and he wasn’t sure this fish would top it. Plus, a trip to Nashville wasn’t really in the cards. Every hand-held scale they tried was giving different readings, but he knew it would be close. They kept the fish on water and got word that they could have it officially weighed and certified at a nearby fish hatchery. The official weight came in at 36 lb. 13.92 oz. giving Connor the new state record.
Connor and Brian credit their gear: Mission Craze bows, AMS Reels, and TJE “Hole-Shot” rods for their success on the water. Brian also wanted to especially thank SeeLite LEDs and Max-It-Out LEDs for their support of his team Shallow Alarm Bowfishing.
Connor is receiving the equivalence of rock-star status, as some of the biggest names in bowfishing have reached out to congratulate him on his record. It’s great to see someone excelling at something they love at such a young age. You can follow along with Brian and Connor on their Facebook page at Shallow Alarm Bowfishing.
Connor Edwards is a member of the Shallow Alarm Bowfishing team. He travels to tournaments with his partners Brian Edwards and Will Brooks. They do pretty well too, considering that Connor is only 9 years old. Brian is Connor’s dad and he told me that when the action heats up Connor is all business and takes his bowfishing very seriously.
On March 14, 2015, the team traveled to Cheatham Lake on the Cumberland River for a local Big 5 tournament. The tournament was hosted by the Tennessee Bowfishing Club where Brian is the current president.
The team’s strategy was to look for the bigger grass carp in that stretch of the river,
RECORD FISH
Connor is all smiles as he poses with his TN record Silver Carp
Standing on one leg to steer and shoot fish... now that's talent.